USL-1 Richmond Kickers

Kickers Host First-Ever School Day

Published on May 10, 2005 under USL First Division (USL-1)
Richmond Kickers News Release


RICHMOND, VA – (Tuesday, May 10, 2005) – The Richmond Kickers are pleased to host their in-state rival Virginia Beach Mariners tomorrow for the first "School Day" at 11:00 a.m. at the University of Richmond Stadium. The Kickers exchanged victories with the Mariners earlier in the season and will also face them in Virginia Beach this Friday, May 13th.

At stake is the 2005 James River Cup, a competition between Richmond and Virginia Beach based on total points at the end of all regular season matches played between the two teams. Begun in 1996, the James River Cup competition has been in existence for seven seasons as a local derby between the two clubs (the Mariners did not field a team in 1997 or 2001). Defending 2004 James River Cup Champion, the Kickers have won the competition consistently for the past six seasons (1998-2000, 2002-2004).

The Richmond Kickers enter tomorrow's match at the top of the table with a record of 3-1-1, 10 points while Virginia Beach brings a 1-3-2 record and five points to Richmond. The Kickers took on defending Champion Montreal Impact last weekend and battled to a nil-nil stalemate after a red card was issued to Richmond midfielder Joey Worthen, who will serve his suspension tomorrow. Virginia Beach was defeated by the Impact the night before, 1-0.

"It was frustrating to have to play with 10 men last weekend so we will be going all out for the win tomorrow," comments Richmond Kickers Head Coach Leigh Cowlishaw. "The battle for the James River Cup is hanging in the balance and both teams have everything to play for. As always, it is going to be a very close encounter. One goal or one mistake will determine the outcome."

Highly structured towards SOL instruction, tomorrow's School Day offers an opportunity for students to enjoy a morning of fun, soccer, motivation, stress relief and camaraderie. All students in attendance will receive an educational game day program filled with interesting SOL questions and related facts and games.

"With the SOL testing to follow in the next couple of weeks, we felt that this event would be a great educational and motivational vehicle for schools in the Metropolitan Richmond area," comments Richmond Kickers General Manager Paul Sterbenz. "It is our hope that this event can become a yearly event and that it's advantages are realized by all area school systems."

Players to Watch

Kickers: Goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale earned Team of the Week honors this week for four saves in the scoreless draw against Montreal last weekend. With 18 saves overall, he is currently ranked third in the league and has recorded a .80 goals against average. Forward Matthew Delicâte continues to lead the Kickers and the league with four goals and eight points. Midfielder Tim Brown was recently called up for an appearance with the Senior New Zealand National Team and will be traveling to London for a friendly against Australia on June 9th. Brown has played every minute of every game and has tallied one assist this season.

Mariners: Former U-18 England International Darren Caskey currently leads the mariners with two goals and one assist for five points and is tied for third in the league in both goals (2) and points (5). He recorded one goal against the Kickers in their first match of the season on April 22nd and his assist the following night in Virginia Beach led to the game winner over Richmond. Defender Russell Hutchison was responsible for the 1-0 victory over the Kickers after scoring the winning goal one minute upon entering the game. Newcomer Teafore Bennett is an unpredictable and proven goal-scorer from Jamaica and has appeared in six games so far this season for 325 minutes.

Check out the Richmond Kickers Statistics

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USL First Division Stories from May 10, 2005


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